Posts by benvigil

    I'm fairly agnostic on this whole thing. They're both ridiculously awesome.

    • There are certain Rigs that are just amazeballs in the KPA ( @rmpacheco's AC20, @NIL's PT20, lots of Marshall-y goodness, etc) and then there are certain Rigs that are just better in the FAS land (Tucana, various Mesa's, etc.).
    • There's the simplicity of the KPA but the depth/control/routing of the FAS units.
    • The toaster is so deliciously retro but the AX8/FM3 can go on the floor.

    I wish Kemper would make the floor unit already. Imagine a KPP (Kemper Profile Player) and FM3 side by side on the floor?

    I've posted a number of times that I'm an Sennheiser HD600 guy through and through, but for kicks I'll throw another one out there: check out the Superlux HD668B. Incredibly cheap headphones that sound pretty amazing. I mean, they sound REALLY good!


    For $35.


    They aren't as open and "airy" as the HD600, but they are louder and they pair better with a lot of amplifiers. For that price, you can buy one for a back up, and a 2nd pair as its backup.

    It's pretty stellar that you have a sound guy with that level of attention to detail!


    You're also a great example of how you make the switch. So many players think they can restructure their entire world and expect nothing to change. You have to work through it and tweak along the way until you get there. Congrats and I'm glad you're enjoying the new rig.

    Agreed MementoMori


    FAS has never said the FM3 is the final floor unit from them. And given that there's a LOT of daylight between the power, functionality, and cost of the FM3 and the AxeFX III, I think it's a safe bet to expect a bigger brother to the FM3 in the future. Maybe not this year or next, but an FM6/8/9/etc. in the $1500-$2000 range with more power than the FM3 (but less than the AFIII) would be a no-brainer IMNSHO.


    Except for the footswitches, the FM3 is a step up from the AX8 in pretty much every way. And if you really need the switches , the FC-6 or FC-12 is a GREAT expansion route for barely more $$$ than the AX8 was priced at.


    I'm really trying to see the downside to the FM3 and I can't find it. I think both Line6 and FAS hit it out of the park with both of their units.

    A Tone Match is a hi-resolution EQ, very much akin to an IR, but using a longer sample time (e.g. or maybe multiple samples taken over time?) in order to make input audio A sound like the sampled clip, given a reasonably close amp is already there.


    So a Tone Match (in a Tone Match block) created on the AxeFX II/III cannot be shared with an AX8 user since the AX8 does not have the Tone Match block, but a Tone Match block can be converted to a CAB block to share with an AX8 user to load and use.


    That's my understanding.

    YA, Cliff mentioned they've removed deep amp editing - not sure if this is what tone matching is.

    I think that's overstating it a bit. The amp block in FAS-land has maybe 125-150 parameters. I mean, it's pretty over the top. He stated that for the FM3 they are leaving out a few of the processor-intensive parameters (some were added in Ares for the flagship AxeFX III). There are a handful of users who might actually care about those specific parameters, so it's really not much of a loss. YMMV.


    Tone matching is a separate block/feature.

    I will not change from a rack setup simply due to the fact that it is REALLY convenient to have only 1 cable going out to my performance area for my foot controller. You can't get that with an all-in-one foot controller. You always have a cord mess around your mic stand

    You could easily keep in the FM3 on your "backline" with a poweramp and cab (or FRFR), then run a single XLR out to a FC-6 or FC-12 by your feet.

    The first thing I thought when I saw the FM3 announcement was... "did I miss some kind of Kemper announcement this morning?" LOL


    Not the same processor as the AX8, but the same relative CPU power, Cliff said. If that's true, its not a huge leap financial leap from the HX Stomp to the FM3, and you get WAY more functionality.


    Of course, there's nothing in Kemper-land to compare it to.

    NAMM was what, the end of January? At the time Kemper was floating idea of the Kabinet and they were wanting feedback. Speedy delivery to market isn't exactly Kempers modus operandi.


    So I think it's sorely optimistic to expect to see a shipping product this year.